The present invention relates to a multi-position chair, and particularly to a high chair for use by children. More particularly, the present invention relates to a youth chair having a fixed base and a seat that can be moved relative to the base to assume a selected elevation and orientation.
Traditionally, high chairs are used by caregivers to seat young children comfortably during a meal. As such, a conventional high chair includes a tray for holding food and beverages to be consumed by a child during a meal. A high chair tray can also be used to hold play toys or books provided by a caregiver to entertain a child seated in the high chair at times other than mealtime.
What is needed is a multi-position chair that is more versatile than a traditional high chair. Consumers would appreciate a youth chair that can function at mealtime as a traditional high chair yet can function at other times as a multi-position seat that is movable relative to its base to assume different elevations and orientations. Consumers would welcome a versatile child seat that could be raised or lowered to provide a high chair or a low chair and that could be placed in an upright position at mealtime or in one of several reclined positions at rest time.
According to the present invention, a chair includes a multi-position seat and a frame assembly for supporting the seat in a selected position above a floor underlying the seat. The seat includes a seat bottom and a seat back positioned to lie adjacent to the seat bottom. The seat back is formed to include a guide channel receiving a portion of the frame assembly therein.
The frame assembly includes a pedestal and a frame coupled to the pedestal and arranged to pass through, slide in, and pivot in the guide channel formed in the seat back. The frame assembly further includes at least one seat support link and a latch assembly. Each seat support link has one end pivotably coupled to the frame and another end pivotably coupled to the seat to allow the seat to be moved relative to the frame by a caregiver between selected positions. The latch assembly releasably couples the seat back to the frame to block pivoting and sliding movement of the frame in the guide channel and relative to the seat back and to block pivoting movement of each seat support link relative to the seat and frame.
In preferred embodiments, a caregiver can adjust the orientation of the seat relative to the frame by operating the latch assembly to release a locked connection between the seat and the frame and then moving the seat relative to the frame between an "upright" orientation and one or more "reclined" orientations. During such seat movement, the portion of the frame passing through the guide channel formed in the seat back pivots in and/or slides in the guide channel and each seat support link pivots about one pivot post appended to the frame and another pivot post appended to the seat.
Essentially, the seat, frame, and seat support links cooperate to define a multi-position linkage including several pivoting and one sliding joint. The latch assembly functions normally to hold this multi-position linkage in one of several available fixed positions to fix the orientation and position of the seat relative to the frame mounted on the pedestal. In use, a caregiver can operate the latch assembly to allow the frame to pivot and slide in the guide channel formed in the seat back so that the multi-position linkage is free to move to another of the several available fixed positions to change the orientation and position of the seat relative to the base.
Illustratively, the pedestal includes a base and a pair of spaced-apart upright chair legs mounted on the base and the frame is a somewhat U-shaped tubular member. The frame includes a first side arm slidably coupled in telescoping relation to a first of the upright chair legs, a second side arm slidably coupled in telescoping relation to a second of the upright chair legs, and a midsection bar interconnecting the first and second side arms and passing through the guide channel formed in the seat back. The elevation of the seat above the pedestal base is selected by placing a locking tab mounted on the distal end of each of the first and second side arms (and located inside the first and second chair legs) into one of the height-adjustment slots formed in each of the first and second upright chair legs.
The elevation of the seat can be changed in the following manner. Lowering of the seat toward the pedestal base is accomplished by tipping the seat slightly in a rearward direction so as to withdraw the locking tabs on the frame from the height-adjustment slots formed in the chair legs, lowering the seat to its new elevated position, and then inserting the locking tabs in the height-adjustment slots formed in the chair legs corresponding to the new elevated position. Raising of the seat above the pedestal base is accomplished by raising the seat toward its new position so that the locking tabs are cammed automatically out of the height-adjustment slots, then raising the seat further to position the locking tabs just above the destination height-adjustment slots and inserting the locking tabs in the height-adjustment slots.
Preferably, a frame mount assembly is appended to a rearwardly facing wall of the seat back and formed to include the guide channel. Illustratively, the frame mount assembly includes a pair of spaced-apart rails appended to the rearwardly facing wall and each of the rails is formed to include a vertical elongated bar-receiving slot therein. The two elongated bar-receiving slots are arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to one another to define the guide channel and the midsection bar of the frame lies in perpendicular relation to the two rails and passes through the bar-receiving slots formed in the rails for sliding and pivoting movement therein.
The releasable latch assembly includes a latch arm mounted for rotation on the midsection bar of the frame and a spring for biasing a locking lug carried on the latch arm into engagement with one of several lug-receiving notches formed in the seat back upon arrival of the seat at one of the selected positions of the seat relative to the frame. Such engagement operates to fix the multi-position linkage in one of several available fixed positions to block movement of the seat relative to the frame mounted on the pedestal. Each lug-receiving notch is located to correspond with one of the selected orientations of the seat relative to the frame mounted on the pedestal. For example, three lug-receiving notches are provided in a preferred embodiment to facilitate placement of a movable multi-position seat in either an upright position, a partly reclined position, or a fully reclined position.
Illustratively, the latch assembly is positioned to lie between the pair of spaced-apart rails appended to the seat back and is configured to include a release handle coupled to the latch arm. To adjust the orientation of the seat relative to the frame on the pedestal, a caregiver simply grips the release handle and uses it to rotate the latch arm about the midsection bar of the frame to disengage the locking lug from one of the lug-receiving notches formed in the seat back. The caregiver can then move the seat to a selected orientation and then let go of the release handle so that the biasing spring in the latch assembly moves the latch arm to engage the locking lug in a lug-receiving notch corresponding to the new selected orientation.
Additional objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.